Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Monday - time in court

observed a few hearings

one contained testimony from the plaintiff and the defendant

one attorney had multiple items of evidence that was used to set to help make the case for his client

He was even prepared with witnesses.

It was fascinating to watch and listen.

I don’t spend much time in courtrooms - thankfully, but the process is kind of interesting nonetheless.

Two weeks ago, we began looking at John 5 - which seems to act like a hearing in a larger trial.

Jesus on Trial because he healed a man on the Sabbath and then was indicted for calling himself equal with the Father - essentially calling himself God (1-18), last week, Pastor Armal discussed how…

Jesus defended his authority (19-29)

We come to the final part of this trial or hearing as Jesus introduces his witnesses (30-47)

All of this is leading us to do something with Jesus.

We need to come to a verdict - instead of guilt or innocence - the verdict is belief or unbelief.

Will we believe in Jesus, or will we continue in unbelief?

So today, we we come to the final part in this hearing, we come to the witness testimony.

Let me encourage you to grab your bible or use the one in front of you to follow along.

We will have some of the scripture on the screen.

You can find the passage we’re discussing on page: 754 of the pew Bible.

If you’d like to use the notes in your bulletin to follow along, we are going to begin by noting...

Jesus’ acknowledgment that He needs witnesses (30-31)

Jesus seems to acknowledge that while he is acting with integrity, it would be difficult for people to believe him or to accept his statements as valid because they would be unverified.

When I observed the hearings in the court the other day, there was testimony from both a man and a woman in the case - the plaintiff and the defendant.

They were talking about the same incident, but their words were not matching up.

It was clear that the truth was somewhere in between.

It was a clear case of “he said, she said.”

That’s why the plaintiff’s attorney was prepared with photos and the testimony of others in order to present his client’s case before the judge.

The evidence and witnesses could help to verify or invalidate the testimony of the couple.

Jesus recognizes that he could say anything - but his information and character would need to be corroborated for people to believe.

And so, he references some witnesses.

The first witness that he presents is...

The witness of John: truth of Jesus’ identity and purpose (32-35)

This is John the baptist that he is referring to.

John was a predecessor to Jesus.

His ministry had created quite an interest.

Don Carson noted in his commentary on this passage:

The Gospel according to John (b.

The Witnesses concerning Jesus (5:31–47))

The Jewish people generally, and even many of the leaders, chose for a time to enjoy his [John’s] light.

Both the New Testament and Josephus [an early Jewish historian] record that the ministry of John the Baptist generated considerable messianic excitement.

But, he was very clear that his ministry was designed to point people to someone else.

A little later in John 1, John the Baptist points directly to Jesus

John’s entire ministry was centered on preparing the people who would listen for Jesus’ arrival on the scene.

He acted like a sort of ambassador or advance team representative making appropriate arrangements for Jesus.

His ministry had an impact and made a difference for some people.

His testimony would stand as a witness in favor of Jesus’ …

identity as the Son of God (remember Jesus called God his father in John 5:17 - which is the main reason behind this trial)

purpose - to bring salvation (the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world - John 1:29)

So the first witness steps down and Jesus calls forth another witness -

The witness of the Father as seen in Jesus’ works (36-38)

In my personal devotional time I’ve been working my way through Scripture.

Over the last several days I’ve been reading in the books of First and Second Kings.

One of the very interesting elements is that greatest portion of these books Chronicle the activities of the Kings of Judah and Israel (the south and the north) through the lens of whether or not they served as instruments of God - obeyed the laws of God.

At various points through these books, the activities of some of the prophets are mentioned - Elijah, Elisha and other people called the “man of God.”

These men have a sort of teaching ministry to some of the Kings, but they also perform great miracles - raising the dead, healing lepers, causing and releasing a drought, and so much more.

Their activity, their works, clearly identified them as men of God - because they worked as instruments of God in the nation.

Jesus, in these verses, seems to be calling people to look at his works as a witness that he had been sent from God. John’s gospel pulls out several works or signs - the work for which he had been indicted - healing a lame man on the sabbath - was simply one of those works.

So far in the book, we’ve seen the water turned to wine (John 2), the official’s son healed (John 4:46-54) and the lame man healed (John 5:1-17) - but there were clearly other signs.

But the most significant of these signs is the work that Jesus would do just a year or two later on the cross.

His greatest and most horrific work would be to offer his holy life as a substitutionary sacrifice for all of humanity.

He rose from the tomb three days later as victor over the curse of sin (death).

(Possibly skip this section:)

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Counter Indictment

But here, in referencing his works as witness on behalf of the father, Jesus turns around and makes a three-fold accusation against his accusers.

Look at verse 37-38.

Notice what he points out to them these three indictments (as noted by Carson):

They have never heard God’s voice - Moses heard the voice of God (Ex.

33:11) and conveyed those words to the people of Israel.

As we’ll see in a moment, some of those words referred to Jesus.

Since they are not hearing the voice of God through Jesus, they are not true believers in what Moses taught (Carson).

They have never seen God’s form - now, God is a spirit - and truly has no form, but has taken form at different times in History.

Genesis 32:30-31 records an encounter when Jacob saw God’s form when he wrestled with God.

Carson writes that “since Jesus is the very manifestation of God (John 1:18; 14:9), and the Jews do not see God in Jesus, it follows that they are not true Israelites.”

They do not have God’s Word abiding in them - Joshua 1:8-9 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”” and Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Again - as we will see in a moment, since the Word of God ultimately reveals Jesus who is the Word of God made flesh - these people are rejecting Jesus because of their failure to recognize that which should already be dwelling in them.

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So Jesus has presented John the Baptist and the Father as his first two witnesses.

Next he turns to the very thing that was near and dear to his accusers…the scriptures.

The witness of the Old Testament - (39-44)

Let’s think about the origin of the law for a moment.

Noah - God chose Noah to be his instrument in the world.

God entered into a covenant with Him and provided the sign of the rainbow (Gen.

8:20-9:17).

Abraham - again - God chose Abraham because he chose to.

He entered into a covenant with Him and promised to give him numerous descendents and land.

IN the promises of this Covenant - God told Abraham that his descendents would be strangers in a foreign land and would return after four hundred years He later called Abraham and his descendents to be different from the other nations of the world by giving them the sign of circumcision.

(Gen.

15; 17).

Moses - Roughly 400 years later, God fulfilled his covenant to Abraham and brought the people out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses.

He then called the people to live in a way that was distinct from the nations around them - providing the law as a means of helping them fulfill their part of the covenant.

Jesus accuses them because they think that there is life found in studying the scriptures.

The scriptures were given as a guide for living and a recorded history, but they were also given to reveal Jesus.

One of those first glimpses of Jesus is found in the opening chapters of Genesis.

After Adam and Eve sinned, God issued a curse and promised that a future son of Adam would come to crush the deceiver.

The scriptures revealed that no immediate son of Adam, no patriarch, no king or prophet was successful in bruising the head of of the serpent.

They are pointing to someone else.

The prophet Daniel provided a timeline that gave indications that there would be something happening, some one coming around the time of Jesus - which is in part why there was so much Messiah fever in the first century (Carson).

Several passages in Isaiah point to a coming one.

We often read Isaiah’s child prophecies around Christmas time (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7).